Singapore in Three Days

by Malcolm O'Brien

Smith Street

Arriving at Singapore is a pleasure. Changi airport is a modern and thoughtfully laid out airport designed with travellers in mind, which is not something that many airports can boast. From touchdown to being clear of all entry formalities and waiting for the airport shuttle to take us to our hotel took under 20 minutes.

There are many ways to travel from the airport into the city centre, ranging from the excellent MRT public transport system to limousines. We opted for the airport shuttle, a shared taxi that drops off at different hotels, and this cost us S$7 each.

We arrived at our hotel at around 8pm, and after a quick shower decided to explore Chinatown on foot. The Chinatown MRT station opened in May 2003, but after a 12 hour flight from London, we thought that a walk would be nice. Chinatown is an eclectic mix of interesting shops, fascinating sounds and enticing smells. We had dinner at an outdoor stall in Smith Street, which is packed with stalls selling food to cater for all preferences. The food we chose was both excellent and cheap, at around S$3 (£1) each for a main course, and we ate it whilst listening to the banging of bells and the clanging of gongs from a temple on one of the upper storeys overlooking the street.

Penguins in Jurong Bird Park

The following morning, we set off from the city centre to Jurong Bird Park. Public transportation in Singapore is excellent, with the interchanges clearly signposted and the staff all appearing to be very friendly to tourists unfamiliar with the layout of the city, offering unprompted assistance if they suspect someone is not a local. The MRT stations are all uniquely numbered as well as named. We took the MRT to Boon Lay (EW27) and then the SBS bus number 4 directly to the bird park. A combined entrance ticket costing S$30 (approximately £10) allows entrance to the Bird Park, Zoo and Night Safari. The only additional costs are for the Panorail (scenic Monorail) in the Bird Park, and for the tram at the zoo, both of which are recommended as a way of becoming familiar with the layout. The bird park claims to offer a home to over 8,000 birds from 600 species, and is a very enjoyable place to visit. The "Penguin Parade" is a fun way to see over 200 penguins of 5 species. Walking around the bird park I saw the largest flamingos I have ever seen.

We travelled onward from the bird park to the zoo, a short and inexpensive taxi ride away. Having spent so long at the bird park, we didn't arrive at the zoo until early afternoon, which really didn't leave enough time before sunset (usually at 7.30pm in Singapore) to do it justice. Singapore Zoo is a model of the `open zoo' concept, with the animals kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures, separated from the visitors by dry or wet moats which are concealed with vegetation or dropped below the line of vision. This means that they do not appear at all intrusive - at least to visitors. The whole environment is one in which all the animals appear content in their surroundings, and is a pleasure to visit - I would go as far as to say that this is the nicest zoo I have ever been to. Getting around is very easy - particularly if you are short of time, as there is a tram which stops 3 times on a 2.2km route around the zoo.

At dusk, after an enjoyable brisk walk around the zoo, we walked the short distance across the car park to the Night Safari. This is the world's first wildlife park specifically built for visits at night, and offers guests the unique experience of exploring wildlife in a tropical jungle at night. The night safari boasts over 1,000 nocturnal animals of 100 species. Once again this attraction offers a tram ride around the main part of the 40 hectare site, with the option to get on and off at various points and walk along individual trails. Highlights of the visit for me were walking through a bat enclosure and coming within a few feet of an enormous bat hanging, asleep, from a tree branch. Within a few minutes of this, a little further along the trail, I turned a corner to come across a leopard apparently walking towards me along the same path, its route blocked by a huge sheet of glass. A late evening bus trip to the local MRT station and then a train back to the hotel finished off an enjoyable though tiring day.

On the second day of our visit, we took the cable car from Mount Faber to the island of Sentosa, which is described as Singapore's Resort Island. Sentosa has beautifully sandy beaches, an aquarium in which all the fish swim over your head and around you, and a splendid butterfly park. Sentosa also boasts the Merlion, Singapore's tourism icon with the body of a fish and the head of a lion. The musical fountain has two afternoon shows and two in the evening - we managed to see the first half of the first afternoon show before rushing to see the final dolphin performance of the day at Dolphin Lagoon. The day culminated in a cable car ride back to the mid-point on the cable car route Cable Car Tower, then a walk up to the outdoor food stalls in Smith Street.

Our final day in Singapore started with a short walk from the hotel we were staying in, the Swissotel Merchant Court (which we would recommend highly) through the city to Orchard Road which is a bustling shopping street in the city centre. We walked to the famous "Raffles Hotel" and had a look at the "tourist" parts - as the main accommodation part of the hotel is off limits unless you are staying there. On the way back to our hotel, we were caught in a sudden downpour, so decided it would be a good time to have lunch in one of the many local restaurants there. We had some superb Indian food before walking back to our hotel to collect our bags, head to the airport and fly up to Koh Samui for the second destination in our visit.

I would recommend Singapore to anyone as an interesting and enjoyable place to visit. There is no language barrier, the climate is pleasant and there is plenty to see and do.
Useful links:

Singapore Tourist Board www.visitsingapore.com or www.stb.com.sg

Jurong Birdpark http://www.birdpark.com.sg

Singapore Zoo http://www.zoo.com.sg

Night Safari http://www.nightsafari.com.sg

Sentosa http://www.sentosa.com.sg